Shoe with a detachable outsole having a piercing prevention means

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a shoe with a divided outsole having a piercing prevention means, and more specifically the object is to provide a shoe with a divided outsole, in which front and rear outsoles are detachably provided with a space in between, and which is adapted to be able to protect the sole of the foot of the wearer by providing a piercing prevention means that is soft, but at the same time averts piercing by sharp objects such as nails, on the inside floor surface of the shoe with the divided outsole, and which can exhibit outstanding cushioning while lightening the weight of the shoe by forming cushioning-material recesses in the front and rear outsoles stuck to the front and rear under-surface of the shoe upper and by then inserting cushioning materials, that are formed with air holes, in the cushioning-material recesses.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates, in general, to a divided outsole typeshoe with a piercing prevention means and, more particularly, to adivided outsole type shoe, in which front and rear outsole portions aredivided to be spaced apart from each other, and a piercing preventionmember made of a soft material is provided on a bottom surface of theshoe to prevent a wearer from being pierced with a sharp object such asa nail, thus protecting the sole of his or her foot, and in whichcushioning recesses are formed in the front and rear outsole portionsattached to front and rear portions of a lower surface of an upper andthen a cushioning material defining an air hole is inserted into eachcushioning recess, thus achieving the lightness of the shoe and ensuringa superior cushioning effect.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, a general shoe is configured so that an outsole of apredetermined thickness is attached to a lower portion of an upper. Theoutsole is formed to integrally extend from a front to a rear of theupper.

Further, when a person walks, his or her heel first comes into contactwith the ground, and subsequently, a central region of the foot sole,the ball of the foot and the toes come into contact with the ground inturn. When a person raises himself or herself up on their toes whentaking steps forward, the action of flexing the central region of thefoot as well as the toes is continued flexibly and rhythmically duringas the person continues walking.

As such, the sole of the foot is flexibly flexed during walking. On onehand, if a wearer walks with the general shoe having the integraloutsole on, he or she wishes to flexibly move his or her foot sole inthe shoe, but the shoe restricts the flexible movement of the sole ofthe foot. As a result, his or her foot experiences discomfort.

Therefore, the applicant of the present invention has developed a shoe,in which the outsole is divided into front and rear outsole portions,the divided front and rear outsole portions are attached to a lowersurface of an upper in such a way as to be spaced apart from each other,and a lower surface located between the front and rear outsole portionsis integrally connected to the upper located thereabove.

Such a divided outsole type shoe is advantageous in that there is nooutsole in a central portion of the lower surface of the shoe, and thecentral portion is integrally connected to the upper located thereabove,so that the central portion of the shoe is easily bent, andconsequently, the divided outsole type shoe does not restrict the freeflexing of the sole of the foot when a wearer walks with the shoe on,thus making his or her foot comfortable.

However, the divided outsole type shoe is problematic in that there isno outsole in the central portion of the lower surface of the shoe, sothat the upper made of a soft material such as leather or syntheticleather is located at the central portion having no outsole, and therebywhen a wearer treads on a sharp object such as a nail or a stick whilewalking, the sharp object may penetrate into the upper disposed on alower portion of the shoe and the sole of his or her foot may beinjured.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind theabove problems occurring in the related art, and an object of theinvention is to provide a divided outsole type shoe, in which a piercingprevention member in the form of Kevlar woven with synthetic resinfiber, such as nylon that is not cut by a knife, or of fabric woven withglass fiber or carbon fiber, is attached to an interior of an upper ofthe shoe, so that a sharp object such as a nail or a stick cannotpenetrate the piercing prevention member, thus protecting the foot of awearer putting on the divided outsole type shoe.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a dividedoutsole type shoe, in which front and rear bottom holes are formed infront and rear portions of a lower portion of an upper, i.e. a bottom ofthe upper corresponding to the sole of the foot, and then cushioningrecesses are formed in front and rear outsole portions at positionscorresponding to the front and rear bottom holes, and a cushioningmaterial defining an air hole is inserted into each cushioning recess,thus realizing the lightness of the shoe and ensuring a superiorcushioning effect.

Technical Solution

In an aspect, the present invention provides a divided outsole type shoewith a piercing prevention means, configured so that a bottom portioncorresponding to a sole of a foot is provided on a lower portion of anupper in such a way as to be integrally connected to an upper portion ofthe upper surrounding a top of the foot, and front and rear outsoleportions are attached, respectively, to front and rear portions of thelower portion of the upper in such a way as to be spaced apart from eachother, and a bottom reinforcing portion is coupled to a lower surface ofthe bottom portion between the front and rear outsole portions, and amidsole is attached to a bottom in the upper, wherein front and rearbottom holes are formed, respectively, in the front and rear portions ofthe lower portion of the upper to which the front and rear outsoleportions are attached, the front and rear bottom holes being smaller insize than the front and rear outsole portions, and cushioning recessesare formed in upper surfaces of the front and rear outsole portions tocorrespond to the front and rear bottom holes, with a cushioningmaterial being inserted into each of the cushioning recesses, and thepiercing prevention member is attached to an interior of the upperbetween the front and rear outsole portions in such a way as to surroundan inner bottom surface and left and right inner walls of the upper inan “U” form, and the cushioning material includes a seat portion in aform of a plate, and a plurality of cushioning protrusions protrudingdownwards from the seat portion and having air holes that are open atbottoms thereof.

Advantageous Effects

As described above, the divided outsole type shoe with the piercingprevention means according to the present invention is advantageous inthat the entire upper and lower portions of the upper have an integralstructure, and the front and rear outsole portions are provided on thefront and rear portions of the lower portion of the upper in such a wayas to be spaced apart from each other, so that the central portion ofthe lower portion of the divided outsole type shoe is flexibly bentwell, thus allowing the foot inside the shoe to move freely and remaincomfortable, and the piercing prevention member attached to the lowerportion in the upper prevents a sharp object such as a nail or a stickfrom penetrating into the shoe, thus preventing a wearer's foot frombeing injured.

Further, the front and rear bottom holes are formed in the front andrear portions of the lower portion of the upper, i.e. the bottom of theupper corresponding to the sole of the foot, and the cushioning recessesare formed in the front and rear outsole portions at positionscorresponding to the front and rear bottom holes, and the cushioningmaterial defining the air hole is inserted into each cushioning recess,thus achieving the lightness of the shoe and ensuring a superiorcushioning effect.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a divided outsole type shoe with apiercing prevention means according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the divided outsole type shoe with thepiercing prevention means according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing a lower surface of an upper included inthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded sectional view showing a structure of the dividedoutsole type shoe with the piercing prevention means according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B) are partial sectional views showing the operation ofa cushioning material installed in the present invention.

MODE FOR INVENTION

Hereinafter, a divided outsole type shoe with a piercing preventionmeans according to the present invention will be described withreference to FIG. 1 through FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the shoe of the present invention includes anupper 10 that surrounds the entire foot of a wearer, front and rearoutsole portions 16 and 17 that are attached to front and rear portionsof a lower portion of the upper 10 to be spaced apart from each other, apiercing prevention member 15 that is attached to a bottom surface ofthe upper 10 at a position corresponding to a gap between the front andrear outsole portions 16 and 17, a midsole 2 that is provided in theupper 10 to which the piercing prevention member 15 is attached, and acushioning material 19 that is provided in each of the front and rearoutsole portions 16 and 17.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the upper 10 is formed to surround the entirefoot of a wearer, and includes a top portion that surrounds the top ofthe foot and the circumference of the foot as in the known upper of theshoe, and a bottom portion 13 that corresponds to the sole of the foot.Front and rear bottom holes 11 and 12 are formed, respectively, in thefront and rear portions of the bottom of the upper 10, to reduce theweight of the shoe and allow the cushioning effect of a cushioningmaterial 19 to be well transmitted to the wearer.

Further, a bottom reinforcing portion 14 is coupled to a lower portionof the bottom portion 13 between the front and rear bottom holes 11 and12 to reinforce the bottom portion 13 that is provided between the frontand rear outsole portions 16 and 17 to be spaced apart therefrom. Here,the bottom reinforcing portion 14 is attached through sewing or using anadhesive with the same leather or synthetic leather as the upper, toallow the bottom portion 13 between the front outsole portion 16 and therear outsole portion 17 to be bent flexibly.

The divided front and rear outsole portions 16 and 17 have cushioningrecesses 18 thereon, respectively. The cushioning recesses 18 are openat the top and formed to correspond to the front and rear bottom holes11 and 12.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the cushioning material 19 is inserted intothe cushioning recess 18 formed in each of the front and rear outsoleportions 16 and 17. The cushioning material 19 formed in each of thefront and rear outsole portions includes a seat portion 20 that is inthe form of a plate, and a plurality of cushioning protrusions 22 thatprotrude downwards from a bottom of the seat portion, with air holes 21defined by the cushioning protrusions and being open at the bottom. Thecushioning material 19 is inserted into the cushioning recess 18 in sucha way that the open bottom of the cushioning protrusions 22 is in closecontact with a surface of the cushioning recess 18.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the piercing prevention member 15is provided to prevent the bottom portion 13 forming the lower surfaceof the upper 10 without the front and rear outsole portions 16 and 17from being pierced with a sharp object. The piercing prevention memberin the shape of a “U”-shaped cross-section is attached to a bottomsurface and left and right inner surfaces of the upper 10 in the upper10 to be positioned between the front and rear outsole portions 16 and17.

This piercing prevention member 15 is in the form of fabric that is verytough and very high in tensile strength to prevent a sharp object suchas a nail or a stick from passing therethrough. It may be selected fromany one of Spectra woven with polyethylene-based synthetic resin fiber,Kevlar woven with nylon-based synthetic resin fiber, nylon66, E-glasswoven with glass fiber, and carbon fiber.

Further, the midsole 2 is manufactured using thick and stiff paper,non-woven fabric or the like, and is mounted to a bottom in the dividedoutsole type shoe 1 so as to prevent the divided outsole type shoe 1 ofthe present invention from being too flexibly distorted. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 5, a front portion of the midsole 2 is attached to an uppersurface of the front cushioning material 19 inserted into the cushioningrecess 18 of the front outsole portion 16 and a portion of the upperaround the front bottom hole 11, whereas a rear portion of the midsoleis attached to the piercing prevention member 15.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the piercing prevention member 15 is longenough to cover an area from an upper side of the gap between the frontand rear outsole portions 16 and to a heel portion. However, asdescribed above, the piercing prevention member may be provided only onthe upper side between the front and rear outsole portions 16 and 17.

Further, as for the piercing prevention member 15, the piercingprevention member (described as knifeproof cloth and bulletproof clothin the prior art) can be found in Korean Patent No. 372083 that isentitled Knifeproof Cloth and Manufacturing Method thereof and will behereinafter referred to as prior art 1, Korean Patent Appl. No.10-1999-0064574 that is entitled Knifeproof Vest and will be hereinafterreferred to as prior art 2, and Korean Patent No. 845923 that isentitled Bulletproof Textile and Bulletproof Pad using the same and willbe hereinafter referred to as prior art 3.

The knifeproof cloth (piercing prevention member) of the prior arts 1, 2and 3 is also applied to the piercing prevention member 15 of thepresent invention, which may be made of a material selected from any oneof Spectra woven with polyethylene-based synthetic resin fiber, Kevlarwoven with nylon (aramid)-based synthetic resin fiber, nylon66, E-glasswoven with glass fiber, carbon fiber or stainless steel wire cloth.

The Spectra and Kevlar have superior properties as the knifeproof cloth,but are problematic in that they are expensive. Hence, nylon66 orstainless steel wire cloth which is very high in tensile strength likethe Spectra and Kevlar can be used.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the piercing prevention member 15 isattached to an inner surface of the upper 10 made of leather, using anadhesive or by sewing. The piercing prevention member 15 possessesstrong properties so that it cannot be easily cut with a knife.Consequently, it is possible to use a softer and thinner upper 10 thanthe general upper.

Further, the piercing prevention member 15 made of nylon66 isadvantageous in that it is similar in tensile strength to spectra orKevlar but is inexpensive. Meanwhile, the piercing prevention member 15made of carbon fiber is expensive, but is effective in removing footodor due to a superior deodorizing effect that is one of the propertiesof carbon.

The stainless steel wire cloth is used to weave bulletproof cloth(bulletproof textile) in prior art 3. General stainless steel wire clothis used as a screen mesh when screen printing. In this case, thediameter of the stainless steel wire used in the stainless steel wirecloth is 23 microns or so, and the cloth is woven in 200 to 400 meshes.This stainless steel wire cloth may be applied to goggles for a survivalgame, thus protecting a user's eyes from a BB bullet.

The above-mentioned stainless steel wire cloth possesses the highstrength of the stainless steel itself. As the stainless steel wirecloth is used in many folds, it can prevent a person from being piercedwith a sharp object.

Reference numeral “3” denotes an inner sole that is disposed in theupper 10 of the shoe.

The operation of the present invention configured as described abovewill be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the divided outsole type shoe 1according to the present invention is configured so that the front andrear outsole portions 16 and 17 are provided, respectively, on the frontand rear portions of the bottom of the divided outsole type shoe 1 insuch a way as to be spaced apart from each other. Since there is nooutsole portion in the gap between the front and rear outsole portions16 and 17, a central portion having no outsole is freely bent invertical and horizontal directions.

Since the central portion of the divided outsole type shoe 1 is bentfreely as such, the divided outsole type shoe 1 is also bent as the soleof the foot is flexed flexibly when a wearer walks with the dividedoutsole type shoe 1 of the present invention on. This makes the footcomfortable and, in addition, realizes exercise effect and acupressureeffect because the sole of the foot can be moved flexibly andcontinuously.

Here, the bottom reinforcing portion 14 made of the same soft materialas the upper is provided on the bottom portion 13 between the front andrear outsole portions 16 and 17, and the midsole 2 and the piercingprevention member 15 are provided on the bottom of the upper 10, thuspreventing the central portion having no outsole from being bentexcessively in vertical and horizontal directions. The central portionhaving no outsole is formed slightly stiff, thus preventing the sole ofthe foot from experiencing excessive pain when a wearer treads onobjects such as small stones while walking.

Since the cushioning recesses 18 are formed in the front and rearoutsole portions 16 and 17 and the cushioning material 19 is insertedinto each cushioning recess 18, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, the weightof the shoe is reduced and a superior cushioning effect is obtained whena wearer walks with the divided outsole type shoe 1 of the presentinvention on.

The cushioning material 19 is made of a soft synthetic resin material.The plurality of cushioning protrusions 22 protrude downwards from theseat portion 20 provided on the top of the cushioning material. Thecushioning protrusions 22 are open at bottoms thereof, so that the openlower ends of the cushioning protrusions 22 are in close contact withthe cushioning recesses 18 of the front and rear outsole portions 16 and17.

Hence, when a wearer steps on the ground, the seat portion 20 providedon the top of each cushioning material 19 made of the soft material iscompressed. Simultaneously, while air trapped in the air holes 21defined in the plurality of cushioning protrusions 22 protrudingdownwards from the seat portion is being compressed, each cylindricalcushioning protrusion 22 that is open at its bottom is enlarged andround in the form of a pot, and the air present therein is compressed,thus absorbing shocks generated during walking.

Further, the front and rear bottom holes 11 and 12 are formed,respectively, in the front and rear portions of the bottom of the upper10, so that the upper surface of the cushioning material 19 is in directcontact with the lower surface of the midsole 2. As a result, thecushioning sensation caused by the cushioning material 19 is easilytransmitted to the sole of the foot, thus making the sole of the footcomfortable.

Next, the piercing prevention member 15 will be described. Theconventional divided outsole type shoe 1 is advantageous in that thereis no outsole in the central portion of the shoe sole as describedabove, so that the central portion of the shoe sole can be freely bent.However, this is problematic in that the central portion is structurallyweak, so that, when a wearer treads on an object such as a nail or asharp stick while walking, the object penetrates into the bottom portion13 mainly made of leather and thereby increases the danger of the footbeing pierced with the object.

However, according to the present invention, the piercing preventionmember 15 that is not cut by a knife is provided on the weak centralportion, so that the sharp object cannot penetrate into the shoe, andconsequently the foot can be protected from the sharp object.

As shown in FIG. 5, the piercing prevention member 15 is mounted tocover an area from the bottom surface in the upper 10 of the shoe toboth outer walls thereof in the “U” form. Thereby, even if a wearertreads on the sharp object in the direction “B” or “C”, the upper 10 isscratched but the sharp object cannot penetrate into the outer wall ofthe piercing prevention member 15, thus protecting the foot from theexterior sharp object.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the divided outsole type shoe according to thepresent invention is configured so that the piercing prevention memberis mounted on the bottom surface in the divided outsole type shoe toprotect the sole of a wearer's foot, and the cushioning materialdefining the air hole is inserted into each of the cushioning recessesof the front and rear outsole portions, thus realizing the lightness ofthe shoe and ensuring a superior cushioning effect and thereby achievingindustrial applicability.

1. A divided outsole type shoe with piercing prevention means,configured so that a bottom portion (13) corresponding to a sole of afoot is provided on a lower portion of an upper (10) in such a way as tobe integrally connected to an upper portion of the upper surrounding atop of the foot, and front and rear outsole portions (16, 17) areattached, respectively, to front and rear portions of the lower portionof the upper (10) in such a way as to be spaced apart from each other,and a bottom reinforcing portion (14) is coupled to a lower surface ofthe bottom portion (13) between the front and rear outsole portions (16,17), and a midsole (2) is attached to a bottom in the upper (10),wherein front and rear bottom holes (11, 12) are formed, respectively,in the front and rear portions of the lower portion of the upper (10) towhich the front and rear outsole portions (16, 17) are attached, thefront and rear bottom holes being smaller in size than the front andrear outsole portions (16, 17), and cushioning recesses (18) are formedin upper surfaces of the front and rear outsole portions (16, 17) tocorrespond to the front and rear bottom holes (11, 12), with acushioning material (19) being inserted into each of the cushioningrecesses (18).
 2. The divided outsole type shoe according to claim 1,wherein the piercing prevention member (15) is attached to an interiorof the upper (10) between the front and rear outsole portions (16, 17)in such a way as to surround an inner bottom surface and left and rightinner walls of the upper (10) in an “U” form, and the piercingprevention member (15) is made of a material selected from Spectra wovenwith polyethylene-based synthetic resin fiber, nylon-based syntheticresin fiber Kevlar, nylon66, E-glass woven with glass fiber, and carbonfiber, and the cushioning material (19) comprises a seat portion (20) ina form of a plate, and a plurality of cushioning protrusions (22)protruding downwards from the seat portion and having air holes (21)that are open at bottoms thereof.